The development of NHS Lothian's new £70m East Lothian Community Hospital has reached two significant milestones.

The steel structure of the three-storey building was completed in August, along with the delivery of the 134 factory-built bathroom pods on-site.

Morrison Construction Project Director Philip Galbraith said: "We are delighted to celebrate these milestones as construction continues to progress well on site.

"The programme for this project is phased, with different trades coordinated to work on sections of the building in a certain sequence. Currently, external walling and internal fit out are being undertaken at the far ends of the development while roofing works continue in the middle of the structure. 

"With the final bathroom pods delivered to site we will now be able to finish connecting these to the hospital rooms across the three floors of the development. The pods are being used for this project to save time and on site labour."

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The hospital is being developed in partnership with NHS Lothian and Hub South East Scotland at the existing Roodlands hospital site in Haddington.

Work began on the structure after the Out-Patients department was completed in February.

Richard Park, Hub South East's Operations Director said: "It's fantastic to see the progress being made on site on the East Lothian Community Hospital - our largest project under construction, and the biggest Hub deal signed to date in Scotland.

"After successfully delivering the new Outpatients department on time and on budget earlier this year, it's great to see the completion of the steel structure of the remaining phase. We're now another step closer to the overall Hospital becoming a reality and helping improve the healthcare facilities available to residents in East Lothian."

Alison MacDonald, Interim Chief Officer, East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership, added: "Construction of the new East Lothian Community Hospital has been underway in Haddington since the end of 2016. The work to date has seen the completion of a new car park and access road, new Out-Patients Department and the demolition of some of the unoccupied buildings, including East Fortune House.

"The completion of this framework is a pinnacle point of the construction progress as it allows you to see the scale of the rest of the new hospital.

"NHS Lothian and East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership continue to work closely with development partner Hub South East Scotland on the project and I am delighted with the progress the project is making."

Work on the hospital began in January 2017.

The full programme of works for the hospital re-development is expected to be complete by early 2020.

(CM)